Retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask. The retaining device comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion is provided on the snorkel. The mask fastening portion is provided on the mask. The connecting portion is formed between the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion. The snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion form a distance therebetween substantially ranging from 1 mm to 50 mm, in which the connecting portion is capable of being resiliently deformed, thereby when a user wears the mask and contains a mouthpiece of the snorkel, the snorkel is adapted to be moved relative to the mask within a limited displacement.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No.110127765 filed in Taiwan on Jul. 28, 2021 under 35 U.S.C. § 119; andthis application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No.63/249,186 filed on Sep. 28, 2021 under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), the entirecontents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a retaining device for connecting asnorkel and a mask, so as to facilitate the wearing convenience andcomfort when using the snorkel and the mask at the same time inunderwater activities. The retaining device often refers to theconnection between a mask and snorkel (i.e., a breathing tube); however,it is not limited to connecting to the mask water-sealing the user'seyes and nose, a googles that only seals the user's eyes is alsoapplicable. Therefore, the so called “mask” extensively covers aswimming goggles.

Descriptions of the Related Art

During underwater sports such as snorkeling and deep diving, users oftenwear masks and snorkels to maintain their vision and breathing duringthe activities. The mask and the snorkel are connected through aretaining device, and when they are not in use, the mask and the snorkelcan be disassembled and separated to facilitate storage and carrying.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an assembly 1 for underwatersports described above, which comprises a mask 11, a snorkel 13, and aretaining device 15. The mask 11 has a mask body 111 and a headband 113.The snorkel 13 has a tube body 131, a mouthpiece 133, and a vent portion135. The retaining device 15 has a ring portion 151 and a hook portion153. The ring portion 151 of the retaining device 15 is sleeved on thetube body 131 of the snorkel 13, and the hook portion 153 is detachablyhung on the headband 113 of the mask 11. As shown in the figure, whenwearing the assembly 1 for underwater sports, a user keeps themouthpiece 133 at the end of the snorkel 13 in his/her mouth, and theextension direction of the tube body 131 is perpendicular to theextension direction of the headband 113.

However, the connection provided by the conventional retaining device 15cannot provide enough space and flexibility for movement between themask 11 and the snorkel 13. During underwater activities, when the userwears the assembly 1 for underwater sports, the mask 11 and the snorkel13 move relative to each other under the influence of changes inbuoyancy and gravity, the mouthpiece 133 is pulled in the mouth of theuser, and the headband 113 is also likely to slide undesirably. This notonly makes the user feel uncomfortable when wearing the assembly 1 forunderwater sports and thus spend time adjusting it to a comfortableposition, but also accelerates the damage of the retaining device 15 dueto frequent pulling stress. Furthermore, the snorkel 13 is restricted bythe retaining device 15, and when the user moves from water to the watersurface or encounters waves in the area near the water surface, it islikely for the user to choke by inhaling water from the vent portion 135at the top of the snorkel 13 and thus cannot breathe smoothly. Inaddition, the headband 113 is made of a soft and elastic material, andthus the hook portion 153 is not easy to be attached to or detached fromthe headband 113, and there are many cases where the user attaches thehook portion 153 incorrectly or at wrong positions.

Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to provide a retainingdevice, which can provide an appropriate buffer for movement between themask and the snorkel so that the user will not feel uncomfortablebecause the assembly for underwater sports is pulled due to the changein use states when the user wears the assembly for underwater sports,prolong the service life of the assembly for underwater sports, and makeit convenient for the user to assemble and disassemble the assembly forunderwater sports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a retainingdevice, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fasteningportion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion and themask fastening portion are respectively connected to the snorkel and themask, and the connecting portion therebetween forms a certainsubstantial distance between the snorkel fastening portion and the maskfastening portion, so that the snorkel can be moved relative to the maskwithin a limited linear displacement and/or angular displacement(rotation). In this way, when the user wears the snorkel and the maskconnected by the retaining device, the discomfort felt by the user whenthe assembly for underwater sports is pulled in different use stateswill be alleviated. The user can use the gear continuously before,during and after the underwater activities without laborious adjustment.

A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a retainingdevice, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fasteningportion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion and themask fastening portion are respectively connected to the snorkel and themask, and the connecting portion between the snorkel fastening portionand the mask fastening portion has at least one bending portion, therebyproviding a better buffer for movement between the snorkel and the mask.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a retainingdevice, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fasteningportion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion ismovably sleeved on the snorkel, and/or the mask fastening portion isdetachably connected to the mask. Therefore, it is convenient forconsumers engaged in underwater activities to disassemble and assemblethe snorkel, the mask, and the retaining device, which become easy forcarry and storage.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a retainingdevice, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fasteningportion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion isintegrally formed with the snorkel. In this way, the material managementand process during manufacturing are simplified. No additionaladjustment is required for the user to use the gear since the retainingdevice is fixed on the snorkel in advance.

The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for thesubject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanyingthe appended drawings for people skilled in this field to wellappreciate the features of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional retaining device connectedto a snorkel and a mask;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a retaining device connected to a snorkel anda mask according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the retaining device connected to the snorkeland the mask according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a top view of the retaining device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the retaining device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a side view of another implementation mode for a connectingportion of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5B is a side view of yet another implementation mode for theconnecting portion of the retaining device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a side view of a further implementation mode for theconnecting portion of the retaining device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a side view of yet another implementation mode for theconnecting portion of the retaining device according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view illustrating the connection between the maskfastening portion and the mask for the retaining device according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic view illustrating another implementation mode ofthe connection between the mask fastening portion and the mask for theretaining device according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6C is a schematic view illustrating yet another implementation modeof the connection between the mask fastening portion and the mask forthe retaining device according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the mask fastening portion ofthe retaining device connected to the mask through a connecting pieceaccording to another implementation mode of the first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view illustrating the mask fastening portionconnected to the snorkel fastening portion through a connecting holeseat and an assembly pin of the connecting portion for a retainingdevice according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic view illustrating another implementation mode ofthe mask fastening portion connected to the snorkel fastening portionthrough a connecting hole seat and an assembly pin of the connectingportion for the retaining device according to the second embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a front view of a retaining device connected to a snorkel anda mask according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 together, which are respectively afront view and a side view of a retaining device 2 connected to asnorkel 3 and a mask 4 in a first embodiment of the present invention.Like the conventional assembly for underwater sports, the snorkel 3 hasa tube body 31, a mouthpiece 33, and a vent portion 35. The mask 4 has aframe 41 and a headband 43 (only a portion thereof is depicted). Theretaining device 2 is configured to connect the tube body 31 of thesnorkel 3 with the frame 41 of the mask 4.

As shown in the top view and the side view of the retaining device 2 inFIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the retaining device 2 comprises a snorkelfastening portion 21, a mask fastening portion 23, and a connectingportion 25.

The snorkel fastening portion 21 is connected to a sidewall 311 of thetube body 31 of the snorkel 3. The sidewall 311 preferably refers to theouter sidewall of the tube body 31 at the side near the user. In moredetail, the snorkel fastening portion 21 of this embodiment is anarc-shaped ring with an opening 211, that is, a C-shaped ring as shownin FIG. 4A. The arc-shaped ring is at least partially and detachablysleeved on the snorkel 3 and abuts against the sidewall 311 of the tubebody 31. Through such a design with the opening 211, the snorkelfastening portion 21 may be adapted to snorkels 3 with differentdiameters or even with contours not completely matched with the snorkelfastening portion 21. In this way, the retaining device 2 can be furtherwidely used in various snorkels 3 and is convenient for users todisassemble and assemble. In other embodiments, the snorkel fasteningportion 21 may have any other shapes, such as a closed ring, an openring, a closed polygon, an open polygon, or the like, and the thicknessthereof does not need to be uniform. In addition, the snorkel fasteningportion 21 can be fixedly, detachably, or movably connected to thesidewall 311 in any way. For example, the snorkel fastening portion 21may be selectively clamped at different heights of the sidewall 311 ofthe snorkel 3. That is, the snorkel fastening portion 21 may move up anddown along the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3 and parallel to the axis x,and it may adjustably slide and be buckled in position, thereby changingthe relative height of the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the maskfastening portion 23 to meet the wearing requirements of differentusers.

The retaining device 2 is connected to the frame 41 of the mask 4through the mask fastening portion 23, and the mask fastening portion 23is detachably connected to a side frame 411 of the frame 41, and thedetailed example of the connection mode will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the connecting portion 25 connectedbetween the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the mask fastening portion23 has a length such that there is a substantial distance L ranging from1 millimeter (mm) to 50 millimeters (mm) between the snorkel fasteningportion 21 and the mask fastening portion 23 and the connecting portion25 can be resiliently deformed. According to the substantial distance Ldefined by the length of the connecting portion 25, when a user wearsthe mask 4 with the mouthpiece 33 of the snorkel 3 in the mouth, alinear displacement ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters(mm) between the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3 and a head side U of theuser can be used as a buffer distance. Therefore, when a user wears themask 4 with the mouthpiece 33 of the snorkel 3 in the mouth, the snorkel3 can be moved relative to the mask 4 within a limited displacement. Thelimited displacement comprises linear displacement, angulardisplacement, or a combination thereof.

In more detail, as shown in FIG. 2 , since generally speaking, an outersidewall 41 a of the mask 4 is approximately flush with the head side Uof the user in the vertical direction after the user wears the mask 4,the relative linear displacement between the snorkel 3 and the mask 4(in particular, the linear displacement from the outer sidewall 41 a ofthe frame 41 of the mask 4 to the inner side of the sidewall 311 of thesnorkel 3 at the area where the retaining device 2 is located) isranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters (mm). As shown in theside view of FIG. 3 , the relative angular displacement between thesnorkel 3 and the mask 4 has a rotation range from 10 degrees to 180degrees. That is, an angle θ is defined by an axis x of the snorkel 3and a plane y where a lens in the frame 41 of the mask 4 lies. When theuser wears the retaining device 2, the snorkel 3, and the mask 4, thesnorkel 3 can be rotated and moved relative to the mask 4 and beadjusted to the most suitable pre-rotation use angle according to thechange in gravity and buoyancy and by the space margin provided by theconnecting portion 25 no matter the user is in water or is floatingupward from the deep water. Thus, no water enters the snorkel 3 from thevent portion 35 due to the change of the use angle, and the user doesnot need to spend time adjusting the relative position of the snorkel 3and the mask 4. That is, the user can use the device continuously andcomfortably while switching between the wearing state and the underwateractivity state of the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 is carried out by theretaining device 2.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, in this embodiment, the connectingportion 25 has a round cross-sectional shape which has a diameter Wranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm). However, in otherembodiments, the cross section of the connecting portion 25 may haveother non-circular shapes or it may even be hollow, and the crosssection width also ranges from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm).

The connecting portion 25 of this embodiment has a bending section 251,which has a shape of U as shown in FIG. 4B. However, in otherembodiments, the connecting portion 25 may also have multiple bendingsections or different shapes, such as V-shape, W-shape derived fromV-shape and U-shape, screw-shape, sheet-shape, strip-shape,sawtooth-shape, bouffant-shape or the like. Furthermore, the bendingsection may also have various bending angles, including an angle whichis slightly larger than 0 degrees and is approximate to a straight line,an angle close to a right angle, a parabola larger than the right angle,a sharp bending angle close to 180 degrees or the like. For example, theretaining device 5 a as shown in FIG. 5A has a connecting portion 51with a single V-shaped bending section 251. The retaining device 5 b asshown in FIG. 5B has a screw-shaped or spring-like connecting portion 53with a plurality of V-shaped bending sections 251. The retaining device5 c as shown in FIG. 5C has a rectangular wave-shaped connecting portion55 with a plurality of U-shaped or rectangular bending sections 251. Theretaining device 5d as shown in FIG. 5D has a rectangularsawtooth-shaped connecting portion 57 with a plurality of U-shaped orrectangular bending sections 251. It shall be noted that in otherembodiments of the present invention, the shape of the connectingportion may also be a simple straight line without bending section, andin this case, the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fasteningportion at both ends of the straight-line connecting portion may belocated at the same level or one is higher and the other is lower.

In order to provide certain elasticity, the materials of the snorkelfastening portion 21, the mask fastening portion 23, and the connectingportion 25 are selected from Thermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), ThermoplasticPolyurethane (TPU), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC),Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer(TPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), or a combination thereof.The hardness ranges from 60 Shore A to 90 Shore D.

Therefore, the materials of the snorkel fastening portion 21, the maskfastening portion 23, and the connecting portion 25 may be softmaterials such as TPR, TPU, and PVC, composite materials of PP and TPR,or hard materials such as PC, POM, PP, TPE, and ABS.

The three components, namely the snorkel fastening portion 21, the maskfastening portion 23, and the connecting portion 25, may be divided intothree parts and made of three different materials respectively. Or,these three components may be also divided into two parts and made oftwo materials respectively (that is, the snorkel fastening portion 21and the connecting portion 25 are integrated or the mask fasteningportion 23 and the connecting portion 25 are integrated), or these threecomponents may all be made of the same material (which may be threeparts, two parts or integrated into one part).

Please refer to FIG. 6A, the side frame 411 has a hole (not shown), andafter the mask fastening portion 23 is inserted into this hole, the maskfastening portion 23 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in thefigure, and is blocked by the side frame 411 so that the mask fasteningportion 23 can be detachably connected to a side frame 411 of the frame41. In other embodiments, the mask fastening portion 23 may also beconnected to the side frame 411 of the frame 41 in other ways eithernon-detachably or detachably (such as in any quick-release type). FIG.6B and FIG. 6C respectively show different embodiments of detachableconnection between the mask fastening portion 23 and the frame 41. Theside frame 411 a of the frame 41 shown in FIG. 6B has a notch 413 tofacilitate installation or removal of the mask fastening portion 23achieved by sliding the mask fastening portion 23. That is, the maskfastening portion 23 may be mounted and connected to the frame 41 fromthe notch 413 or removed from the notch 413 of the side frame 411 a inthe direction of the arrow shown in the figure. The mask fasteningportion 23 shown in FIG. 6C is a mushroom-shaped quick-release head witha transverse groove in the center, and the side frame 411b of the frame41 has a circular opening, so that the mask fastening portion 23 may beinserted, installed, and connected to the side frame 411b or removedfrom the side frame 411b in the direction of the arrow shown in thefigure. It shall be noted that the connection mode between the maskfastening portion 23 and the frame 41 of the present invention is notlimited to the above-mentioned mode, but in the non-detachable mode, themask fastening portion 23 may be directly and integrally molded with theside frame of the mask 4 by injection molding. In the present invention,as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the size of the connecting length D ofthe mask fastening portion 23 is preferably ranging from 3 millimeters(mm) to 30 millimeters (mm).

FIG. 7 is another implementation mode of the first embodiment, whichillustrates another connection mode between the mask fastening portion(not shown) of the retaining device 2 and the frame 41. In this mode,the frame 41 further comprises a connecting piece 71, one end of whichhas a protrusion 711, the other end of which has a quick-release hole713, and the center of the connecting piece 71 is a headband connectinghole 715 through which a headband (not shown) can be inserted. The sideframe 411 c of the frame 41 has a side opening 415, which penetratesfrom the direction of the arrow in the figure to the directionperpendicular to the drawing, so that the protrusion 711 of theconnecting piece 71 may be adapted to slide into the side opening 415along the direction of the arrow in the figure and snap into it alongthe direction perpendicular to the drawing. The mask fastening portion23 (not shown) of the retaining device 2 is connected to thequick-release hole 713 of the connecting piece 71. Since the side framesof the frames currently available on the market often have quick-releasedesigns with side openings, such connection mode may be adapted to avariety of masks currently available. The product of the presentinvention, therefore, has great expandability and versatility.

A retaining device 8 according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention is as shown in FIG. 8A. The retaining device 8 of thisembodiment comprises a snorkel fastening portion 81, a mask fasteningportion 83, and a connecting portion 85.

Similar to the first embodiment, the snorkel fastening portion 81 is aring, which is at least partially and detachably sleeved on the snorkel(not shown) and is closely connected to the sidewall of the tube body(not shown). In other embodiments, the snorkel fastening portion 81 mayalso have other dimensions of contours and may be fixedly, detachably,or movably connected to the sidewall (not shown) of the snorkel in anyway. The height of the snorkel fastening portion 81 sleeved on thesidewall of the snorkel may also be selectively adjusted and thenbuckled in position.

The connection mode of the mask fastening portion 83 and the frame (notshown) of this embodiment is similar to the implementation mode of FIG.7 . In this embodiment, the mask fastening portion 83 has an extensionpiece 831, a protrusion 833, and a headband connecting hole 835. Theprotrusion 833 and the headband connecting hole 835 are respectivelylocated at both ends of the extension piece 831. The side frame (notshown, reference may be made to FIG. 7 ) of the frame (not shown,reference may be made to FIG. 7 ) connected to the retaining device 8 ofthis embodiment has a side opening (not shown, reference may be made toFIG. 7 ), so that the protrusion 833 located at one end of the extensionpiece 831 may slide into the side opening and snap into it. Thismechanism may be combined with the frame of masks currently available onthe market. In addition, the headband connection hole located at theother end of the extension piece 831 is used for the headband (notshown) to pass through.

As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 85 has a connecting holeseat 851 and an assembly pin 853, and the snorkel fastening portion 81is connected to the mask fastening portion 83 through the connectinghole seat 851 and the assembly pin 853 of the connecting portion 85. Inmore detail, the connecting hole seat 851 of the connecting portion 85is connected to the snorkel fastening portion 81, and the assembly pin853 of the connecting portion 85 is connected to the extension piece 831of the mask fastening portion 83.

Although the appearance of the connecting portion 85 of this embodimentis different from that of the first embodiment, the connecting hole seat851 and the assembly pin 853 together also define a substantial distanceranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 50 millimeters (mm) between thesnorkel fastening portion 81 and the mask fastening portion 83, and theconnecting portion 85 can be resiliently deformed. When the user wearsthe mask with the mouthpiece of the snorkel in the mouth, a lineardisplacement ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters (mm)between the sidewall of the snorkel and the head side of the user mayserve as a buffer interval. In this way, when the user wears the maskwith the mouthpiece of the snorkel in the mouth, the snorkel can bemoved relative to the mask within a limited displacement, and therelative movement comprises linear displacement, angular displacement,or a combination thereof. The relative linear displacement range andangular displacement range between the snorkel and the mask provided forthe retaining device 8 of this embodiment are the same as those of thefirst embodiment, and thus will not be further described herein.

The assembly pin 853 has a round cross section with a diameter W rangingfrom 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm). However, in otherembodiments, the cross section of the assembly pin 853 may have othernon-circular shapes or it may even be hollow, and the cross sectionwidth of the assembly pin 853 also ranges from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10millimeters (mm). In this embodiment, the shape of the assembly pin 853may also be a simple straight line without any bending section, and thesnorkel fastening portion 81 and the mask fastening portion 83 at bothends of the assembly pin 853 are located at the same level. In otherembodiments, one of the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fasteningportion at both ends of the assembly pin may be higher and the other onemay be lower.

In this embodiment, the three components, namely the snorkel fasteningportion 81, the mask fastening portion 83, and the connecting portion 85may be divided into three parts and made of three different materialsrespectively, or these three components may be divided into two partsand made of two materials respectively, i.e., as described in the firstembodiment, and reference may also be made to the first embodiment formaterial selection.

As shown in FIG. 8B, in other implementation modes of this embodiment,the connecting portion 85′ may have a bending section 853′, which isU-shaped in the figure. However, in other implementation modes, theconnecting portion 85′ may also have a plurality of bending sections ordifferent shapes. Reference may be made to the first embodiment forrelevant contents, and this will not be further described herein.

As can be known from the differences between the first embodiment andthe second embodiment described above, the shapes and connection modesof the snorkel fastening portion, the connecting portion, and the maskfastening portion are not limited in the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 9 for a front view of a retaining device 9connected to the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention. The retaining device 9 of thisembodiment comprises a snorkel fastening portion 91, a mask fasteningportion 93, and a connecting portion 95. The third embodiment differsfrom the first embodiment only in that the snorkel fastening portion 91of this embodiment is integrally formed with the sidewall 311′ of thesnorkel 3 during manufacturing. In more detail, the snorkel fasteningportion 91, the connecting portion 93, and the mask fastening portion 95of this embodiment are all integrally formed with the snorkel 3. Inother modes, maybe only the snorkel fastening portion 91, or the snorkelfastening portion 91 and the connecting portion 95 are integrally formedwith the snorkel 3, and the components which are not manufacturedtogether are subsequently combined by assembling, buckling, injectionmolding or bonding.

The materials of the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connectingportion 93, and the mask fastening portion 95 in this embodiment arealso selected from Thermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), ThermoplasticPolyurethane (TPU), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC),Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer(TPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and other materials or acombination thereof.

Since the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connecting portion 93, andthe mask fastening portion 95 of this embodiment are all integrallyformed with the snorkel 3, the hardness requirements are different fromthose of the previous embodiment, and the snorkel fastening portion 91,the connecting portion 93 and the mask fastening portion 95 havehardness ranging from 50 Shore A to 90 Shore D.

Through the integrated design of the retaining device 9 and the snorkel3 in this embodiment, the retaining device 9 extends directly from thesnorkel 3, which can reduce the production cost, simplify the assemblyprocess and material storage and management, and facilitate the storageafter being disassembled.

It shall be noted that, in the foregoing embodiments and implementationmodes, the snorkels are all arranged at the side of the mask, especiallyat the left side, through the retaining device of the present invention.However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the maskfastening portion of the retaining device may also be detachablyconnected to the center of the frame of the mask, thereby fastening thesnorkel in front of the center of the frame of the mask to present aso-called central mounted snorkel type, and this type of snorkel isconvenient for users to wear without coming up for breath duringswimming training. Again, although the retaining devices in theforegoing embodiments and implementation modes are connected to masksfor snorkeling or diving, the retaining device of the present inventionin other aspects is also suitable for a goggles for swimming.

According to the above descriptions, the snorkel can be resilientlystretched and/or rotated relative to the mask through the connectingportion for the retaining device of the present invention, so that theuser can have the most comfortable wearing state when moving in thewater or leaving the water surface without laborious adjustment, and themouthpiece of the snorkel and the headband will not be pulled due to thechange in buoyancy and gravity of the use environment. The material,hardness, and pre-rotation angle of the connecting portion furtherincrease the size buffer requirements of different users. The snorkelfastening portion and the mask fastening portion can also be moreconveniently assembled and disassembled through the quick-release designso that the whole device is convenient for storage and carrying.

The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents andinventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceedwith a variety of modifications and replacements based on thedisclosures and suggestions of the invention as described withoutdeparting from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although suchmodifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the abovedescriptions, they have substantially been covered in the followingclaims as appended.

1. A retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask, the retainingdevice comprising: a snorkel fastening portion, being provided on thesnorkel; a mask fastening portion, being provided on the mask; and aconnecting portion, being formed between the snorkel fastening portionand the mask fastening portion, in which the snorkel fastening portionand the mask fastening portion form a distance therebetweensubstantially ranging from 1 mm to 50 mm, in which the connectingportion is capable of being resiliently deformed, thereby when a userwears the mask and contains a mouthpiece of the snorkel, the snorkel isadapted to be moved relative to the mask within a limited displacement.2. The retaining device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limiteddisplacement includes a linear displacement from 5 mm to 120 mm, anangular displacement from 10 degrees to 180 degrees, or a combinationthereof, in which the linear displacement is measured from an outersidewall of the mask to a sidewall of the snorkel, and the angulardisplacement is measured between an axis of the snorkel and a planewhere a lens of the mask lies.
 3. The retaining device as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the outer sidewall of the mask is substantially,vertically in flush with a head side of the user.
 4. The retainingdevice as claimed in claim 3, wherein the connecting portion includes atleast one bending section.
 5. The retaining device as claimed in claim4, wherein the at least one bending section has a shape of U or V. 6.The retaining device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connectingportion has a round cross-sectional shape and has a diameter of 1 mm to10 mm.
 7. The retaining device as claimed in claim 6, wherein theconnecting portion is selected from material consisting ofThermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU),Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyoxymethylene (POM),Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), AcrylonitrileButadiene Styrene (ABS), or a combination thereof.
 8. The retainingdevice as claimed in claim 7, wherein the snorkel fastening portion atleast partially surrounds the snorkel.
 9. The retaining device asclaimed in claim 8, wherein the connecting portion has a hardnessbetween 60 Shore A and 90 Shore D.
 10. The retaining device as claimedin claim 7, wherein the snorkel fastening portion and the snorkel areintegrally formed.
 11. The retaining device as claimed in claim 10,wherein the connecting portion has a hardness between 50 Shore A and 90Shore D.
 12. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein themask fastening portion is detachably connected to a side of a frame ofthe mask.
 13. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein themask fastening portion is detachably connected to a center of a frame ofthe mask.
 14. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein theconnecting portion has a connecting hole seat and an assembly pin, theconnecting hole seat is connected to the snorkel fastening portion, andthe assembly pin is connected to the mask fastening portion.
 15. Theretaining device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the assembly pinincludes at least one bending section.